My partner Richard N. Shapiro touched off a national aircraft safety news firestorm among airplane pilots like myself, with an article comparing deaths/fatalities suffered in Cirrus vs. Cessna planes (click here: Critic Raises Questions over Crash and Death Rates of Cirrus Aircraft In “Dead Pilots Don’t Lie”--Surprising Fatality Safety Analysis of Cirrus “Parachute” Planes vs. Cessna Small Planes).
The provocative article found that the Cirrus "parachute"plane has higher crashes/deaths/fatalities per hour flown in excess of the standard single engine Cessna over the ast ten years-despite the special safety features of the Cirrus.
The Injuryboard National news desk (Jane Akre/Lisa Brown) then wrote about the Cirrus safety issue and pilots for and against Cirrus have weighed in by writing comments.
I am a pilot, and handle airplane crash litigation myself. Pilots tend to believe a crash can never happen to them-a form of defensive attribution. So, when safety statistics show the Cirrus is associated with higher death rates than Cessna's-for one example-it provokes major debate. If Shapiro's article promotes a close look at Cirrus pilot training and helps prevent a future pilot's death, it will be a positive thing.